The Good News Is: The Great-Crowd-Of-Other-Sheep Do Not Exist

by Sea Breeze 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Vidqun

  Sea Breeze, if one examines the word heikal, you'll see it can mean: house, palace sanctuary or temple. Solomon used “temple” and “house” interchangeably: “And the porch in front of the temple of the house was twenty cubits in its length, in front of the width of the house. Ten cubits it was in its depth, in front of the house.” (1 Ki. 6:3 NWT) Rev. 21:22 rules out temple.

  According to Revelation, what is described in heaven is a symbolic tabernacle: "After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened" (Rev. 15:5 ESV). Now one can understand why God says: “The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples” and “the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them” (Rev. 7:15; 21:3).

  The temple vision of Ezekiel I view as symbolic, mainly because of the animal sacrifices. Jesus sacrificed himself once and for all. Animal sacrifices would have no purpose in the future dispensation.

  God's wrath is aimed at His enemies. But God's judgment will involve everyone: “This judgment involves everyone: all who live on the face of the whole earth. No one will escape this evaluation” (Luke 21:35, see NET footnote).
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  Sea Breeze

  The temple vision of Ezekiel I view as symbolic, mainly because of the animal sacrifices. Jesus sacrificed himself once and for all. Animal sacrifices would have no purpose in the future dispensation.

  And, this has been going on for a long time. It is tempting "spiritualize" things that don't seem to fit.
  
  That's what Augustine did when after hundreds of years Jerusalem had not been rebuilt and Jews had not returned to their homeland. The reasoning was that the literal return of the Jews must be symbolic.
  
  Then, one day in 1948 the nation of Israel was born. All the sudden, it looks very literal and not symbolic.
  
  A literal interpretation of the bible requires believing that the text means what it says and says what it means, unless the spiritual interpretation is suggested. Ex. "The kingdom of heaven is like..."
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  Vidqun

  The Republic of Israel, with its Prime Minister and President, and member of the UN, is a far cry from the theocracy of old. They are led by Ultra-Nationalist Talmudic Zionists, intent in committing genocide. A long shot to compare them to the Israel of old, won't you say?

  While we are on spiritual interpretation: All Israel (olive tree) = Gentile Christians (wild branches) + Remnant of Jews (natural branches). The olive tree is the equivalent of the temple, built with living stones, as discussed previously.
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  blondie

  The WTS taught that the great crowd was a secondary group in heaven until about 1932. ""Incidentally, this Washington convention proved to be outstanding for the new flash of truth as to the “great multitude” of Revelation 7:9, proving that its members are not a secondary spiritual class destined to go to heaven but that they are an earthly group identical with the “sheep” of Matthew 25:31-46, made known in 1923, and the “Jonadab” class revealed in 1932 with the release of Vindication, Volume 3.k (Vindication, Vol 3, pp. 77-80; W 1942, p. 374.)" WT 1955 7/1 p.394
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  Sea Breeze

  The WTS taught that the great crowd was a secondary group in heaven until about 1932

  I did not know this. It is interesting to look back at the incrementalism that the WT used to guide people step by step into error, with the culmination being rejecting the new covenant "for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt. 26: 27-28)
  
  The deal Jesus brokered with God as Mediator is very simple, & very generous. Only a Satanic cocktail of deception, lies, confusion and disorientation could get people to reject it.